This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/187,696, filed Nov. 6, 1998, now is abandoned, which claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 60/064,709, filed Nov. 7, 1997, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates generally to communication and data entry devices, and particularly to devices for use by personnel such as doctors and nurses in a hospital environment. More particularly, the present invention relates to communication devices carried by medical caregivers for receiving signals directed to members of a hospital team and data entry devices for processing voice information dictated by a caregiver.
Communication devices such as pagers and data entry devices such as dictating machines are known. Caregivers in hospital environments use such devices routinely to receive messages and to record information about patients. For example, doctors and registered nurses may dictate patient status reports or data observed during surgical procedures. In addition, when a team of doctors and nurses are needed in an operating room, separate paging signals are sometimes sent to the pagers of each team member to assemble the team. Hospitals may charge patients on an hourly basis for some medical services and for use of hospital resources such as operating rooms. Therefore, decreasing the time spent assembling teams, decreasing the time spent by team members performing tasks such as dictating patient reports, and decreasing the number of personnel needed on a team each result in decreased medical costs. Furthermore, rapid assembly of a team can be of critical importance when a patient has a life threatening injury or medical condition that requires prompt medical attention.
According to aspects of the present invention, a system for paging members of a medical team includes a paging signal dispatch system and a plurality of pagers. The paging signal dispatch system includes a transmitter configured to broadcast a paging signal configured to page a plurality of pagers simultaneously and a receiver configured to receive a page acknowledge return signal from each of the plurality of pagers. Each pager includes a receiver configured to receive the paging signal, a transmitter configured to send a page acknowledge return signal, and a user input device coupled to the transmitter. The pager is configured to send the page acknowledge return signal based on an input to the user input device.
In illustrative embodiments, the dispatch system transmitter is configured to send a paging signal for direct reception by pager receivers that are within a predetermined distance of the dispatch system. The dispatch system transmitter can be configured to send a paging signal for indirect reception through at least one paging signal repeater by pager receivers that are outside a predetermined distance of the dispatch system. The pager transmitter can be configured to send a page acknowledge return signal for direct reception by the dispatch system receiver. The pager transmitter can be configured to send a page acknowledge return signal for indirect reception through at least one signal repeater by the dispatch system receiver. The dispatch system can be configured to indicate whether each of the plurality has acknowledged a paging signal within a predefined amount of time after sending the paging signal.
In illustrative embodiments, the dispatch system transmitter is configured to broadcast a first paging signal configured to page a first plurality of pagers simultaneously and second paging signal configured to page a second plurality of pagers simultaneously and a receiver configured to receive a page acknowledge return signal from each of the first and second pluralities of pagers. The plurality of pagers includes first and second pluralities of pagers. Each pager includes a receiver configured to receive one of the first and second paging signals, a transmitter configured to send a page acknowledge return signal, and a user input device coupled to the transmitter. Each pager is configured to send the page acknowledge return signal based on an input to the user input device. The dispatch system transmitter is configured to broadcast the first paging signal at a first frequency and the second paging signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency.
In illustrative embodiments, each pager includes a radio transceiver for two-way communication with other pagers. A first plurality of pagers can be configured to communicate at a first frequency and a second plurality of pagers configured to communicate at a second frequency different from the first frequency.
In illustrative embodiments, each pager includes an infrared transmitter configured to send an identifying signal. The dispatch system includes a plurality of infrared receivers configured to receive the identifying signals and is configured to determine locations of pagers based on reception of the identifying signals. The dispatch system is configured to identify a location of a pager that has not acknowledged a paging signal within a predefined amount of time after sending the paging signal. The dispatch system can further be configured to identify a location of a substitute pager if a pager has not acknowledged a paging signal within a predefined amount of time after sending the paging signal, and to send a paging signal to the substitute pager.
In illustrative embodiments, the pager includes a voice recording device. The voice recording device can be voice activated. The recording device can store data in an digital format, and the pager can be configured to transmit the data to a remote system, for example over a wireless communication link.
In illustrative embodiments, the pager includes a display and is configured to store information related to a patient for output on the display. The pager can include a user input device to enter patient information and be configured to transmit entered information to a remote system. The pager can further be configured to receive patient information from a remote system for output on the display.
In illustrative embodiments, the pager includes a cellular telephone transceiver. The pager can be configured to couple to a caregiver's wrist, or to a belt around a caregiver's waist, or to a strap around a caregiver's neck. A flexible sterile sheath can be configured to surround the pager.
According to other aspects of the invention, an integrated personal communication and data entry device includes a portable housing and an internal controller. A paging device and a voice recording device are both coupled to the controller. Either the paging device or the voice recording device can provide the controller. The integrated device can further include a cellular telephone transceiver and/or a radio transceiver for two-way communication coupled to the controller. The voice recording device can be configured to digitize voice data and to transform the digitized voice data into computer readable text data.
According to illustrative embodiments, the integrated device further includes a clock coupled to the controller and the voice recording device is configured to record a time and date from the clock corresponding to recorded voice data. The integrated device can include an input device to enter a user identification code and the voice recording device can be configured to record voice data only after entry of a predefined user identification code. The voice recording device can be configured to record voice data only if the voice data corresponds to predefined voice print information. The voice recording device can be coupled to a transceiver configured to transmit voice information over a wireless communication link to a hospital data system. The voice recording device can be configured to transmit patient identification information to the hospital data system to enable storage of voice information from the voice recording device related to a patient on the hospital data system.
According to illustrative embodiments, the integrated device includes an input device coupled to the housing, an output device coupled to the housing, and a transceiver coupled to the housing to send and receive information over a wireless communication link to a hospital data system. The integrated device is configured to accept patient identification information from the input device, to send the patient identification information to the hospital data system, to receive patient data from the hospital data system based on the patient identification information, and to display the patient data on the output device. The voice recording device can provide the input device. The output device can be a backlit liquid crystal display. The integrated device can be configured to provide at least one prompt on the output device for entry of patient status information based on patient data received from the hospital system. The integrated device can be configured to provide at least one prompt on the output device to record at least one predetermined category of patient status information.
According to still other aspects of the invention, an integrated personal communication and data entry device includes a portable housing, an internal controller, and a paging device and a cellular telephone transceiver coupled to the controller. The integrated device can further include a radio transceiver for two-way communication, an infrared transmitter, and/or a voice recording device
According to yet still other aspects of the invention, an integrated personal communication and data entry device includes a portable housing, an internal controller, and a paging device and a radio transceiver for two-way communication coupled to the controller. The integrated device can further include a cellular telephone transceiver, an infrared transmitter, and/or a voice recording device.
According to other aspects of the invention, an integrated personal communication and data entry device includes a portable housing, an internal controller, an a paging device and an infrared transmitter coupled to the controller. The integrated device can further include a cellular telephone transceiver, a radio transceiver for two-way communication, and/or a voice recording device.
According to still other aspects of the invention, a voice operated controller for medical equipment includes a voice recorder configured to digitize and recognize voice commands and a transmitter configured to send commands recognized by the voice recorder to a medical equipment controller. The controller can be configured to send commands over a wireless communication link. The controller can include a housing coupled to the voice recorder and transmitter that is configured to be coupled to a caregiver's head to position an input device for the voice recorder near the caregiver's mouth.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently perceived best mode of carrying out the invention.